Process of producing coal gas



June 7, 1932. J. M. RUsBY ET AL 1,861,452

PRUCESS OF PRODUCINGCOAL GAS Filed D60. 5. 1927 Patented .lune 7, 1932 UNITI-:n STATES PATENT OFFICE y g IMSS 0l' PBODUGII'G GOAL GAB Application lied December 5, lll?. Ecrin! Io. $37,801.).

The present invention relates to the carbonizatl'on and combustion of bituminous fuel with recovery of coal as and utilization of the heat of combustion, 01' example, in the 5 generation ofsteam.

bj'eets of the present invention are to eilect a material economy in an bituminous fuel with the production vrecovery of coal gastogether with and l0 other bjr-products and with theeconomlcal combustion of the resulting coke and the con` servation and utilization of heat; and to economi I combinein one o ration and one appara .us the oY a gas plant producing gas 4for distribution, and of a power plant producing steam for utilization. Other ab of the invention 4will appear trom the fo f wing descri tion at the end of which the invention will claimed. How- 2 over, the invention, generally stated1 may be sa d to comprise a p1'4 of continuously carboni-zing and burning bituminous fuel -with reeoveof coal gas and utilinaton of heat of com nation which consists 1n estaba and maintaining a descending column ted fuel and a bed of iEni-te'Y bituminous fuel to te top of the and. by' p :o: hot carboni'zed fuel from the of lge eolumntothebed and by j; ashes from the bed, an' '21,;- H End producing utilizable heat, e# Y a hot zone at the lowerpart of the column y intermittently air blasting the lower part of the column and burnin p Home of the fuel and leading o that) fwn-r from the top lof said zone to :eolnlmstion f p e frnoi thtelburnhad and H im@ coal gas m e top mg generating coal gas the upperperteftheeolumnandhetweenthe au' hl; H: Steps reeireulating some of xt from the lower part t the upper .part of the column to transfer heat from the lower part to the upper part for carbonizia-.g rawv fuel, and additional coal gas, and leadingo and uw =theeoal gas-generated in excess of that regen-ed for recirculation.

The invention further comprises the appail ntns to be 2=:= described which is a Eereferred form with which the process can ractieed.

e invention also comprises the im rovements to be presently described and ally claimed.

The inentlion will be described in connection wit t e accompan drawlng' in which there is a single taken principall in transverse sectional elevation.

T e descending fuel is provided by the re' tort 1, and the bed is rovided by the travell ing grate 2 arranged neath and to one side of the retort' Land extending into a combustion chamber 3. In this case the mass of fueligis continuous an comprises a column and a unilaterally spreading bed. From the ate or more aeeuraI from the and en of the gra-te,-`as shown in the drawing, the ashes fall", in the `present instan into the ash hopper 4. Rawubituminous is fed to the top of the retort l. for example, by means of the feeder whichdoes not permit of the passage of airor A zone at the bottom of the column in retort 1 and below the otake 6 is ittently air blasted by means othehlower 7 and ite eonneetion 8, and the blut e: at the top of the zone above referred to are led el! theoilftakeandb wayofthe'pipehaving the valve 10, to t combustion chamber 3, where the add their heat te the heat of combastion o the fuel bed which is blastedbg the connections 1I. The result of ia t at a amel] portion of the carbonized fuel consumed in the zone above reerred to with gw tmprtm, a w a incandescenee in that nene, while at the samer time the utilizable heat of eombueton'of earbonized fuelv in thehed is anented or sapplemented by the heat of i-fblast gases. N-

air blasting step is intermittent and during it some coal gas is generated in the upper portions of the column and is led 0E by the leeder pipe 12 having valve 13 to the coal gas oitake pipe 14, which is connected with an exhauster, not shown because too well understood to require description or explanation. At the eomvletion of the ar blasting: step the valve 1 is closed and the valve ll opened. The fan 20 ia 'om n l 1 described. Excess coal with the two-fold result that coal gas is generated in theretort 1 and recirculated by the fan and pi 2l and 22 from the top to the bottom ofpzlie column causing transfer of heat from the zone at the bottom of the column to the fuel above that zone, carbonizing the latter and rmitting'the carbonized fuel to descend to t e bottom of the column where, while hot, it is fed to the fuel bed as gas generated is led olf through the pipe 23 provided with a valve' 24 which is now open. The governor 25 in the ipe 23 and its connection 26 to the bottom o the column serve to keep the pressure at that point at or below atmospheric pressure in order to oppose the esca of gas at the point where the carbo fuel is transferred to the bed. The rota device 27 serves to level the carbonized fue on the grate 2 and to permit the passage of the fuel mto the combustion chamber, while at the same time preventing the air blast at the bottom of the descendin column of fuel, during the blasting perio or the gas, during the re-circulation' period, from entering the combustion chamber. As shown the combustion chamber 3 is the combustion chamber of a boiler or steam generator 28, and the heat in the chamber 3 is utilized for genersteam. The cool ases and products of com ustion pass off t rough the stack 29. The valved connection 30 is adapted for the introduction of air into the connection 9 for burning whatever combustibles there may be in the blast gases. 32 indicates a feeder for assisting the grate to carry the carbonized fuel.

It is to be understood that the point of introduction of the recirculated coal gas, with respect to the point of introduction of the air blast to the column, may be varied in order to vary the maximum temperature to which the decomposable coal gas will be exposed durin re-circulation. Also, if the carbonized el is fed directly from the column to the bed, increasing the distance between the point of introduction of the recirculated as and the point of transfer of the fuel will lessen the tmdency of gas to leak from the column at the latter point.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modications may be made in details of construction, arrangement, procedure and matters of mere form without deA arting from the spirit of the invention whc is not limited to such matters or otherwise than the prior art and the appended claims may require.

We claim:

1. The proces of the production of coal and utilization of heat of combustion;

which consists in establishing and maintaining a continuous mass of ignited fuel comas continuous arts thereofadescendmg co umn and a uni aterally spreading 'accusa by feeding bituminous fuel to the top of the column and by passing hot carbonized coal from the bottom of the column to the bed and by dischargin ashes from the bed, burning the carboniz fuel and producing utilizable heat by air blasting the bed, intermittently air blasting the lower portion of the column and leading oif the blast gases from the top of said lower portion to the combustion gases from the burning fuel bed to augment the utilizable heat thereof and collecting coal gas generated in the column above said point, alternately recirculating coal gas through the column to transfer heat from the lower portion to the top thereby carbonizing raw coal and generating coal gas, and leading olf the coal gas so generatedin excess of that required for recirculation.

2. The process of the production of coal gas and utilization of heat of combustion; which consists in establishing and maintainin a continuous mass of i ted fuel comrisin as continuous arts t ereof a descending co umnan'd a uni aterally spreading bed by feeding bituminous coal to t e top of the column and by passing hot carbonized fuel from the bottom of the column to the bed and by discharging ashes from the end of the bed, burning the carbonized fuel and producing utilizable heat by air blasting the bed, generating steam by said heat, intermittently air blasting the lower part of the column and leading oif the blast gases from the top of said lower portion to the combustion gases from the burning fuel bed to augmentA the utilizable heat thereof and collecting coal gas generated in the column above said point, alternately recirculating coal gas through the column to transfer heat from the lower part to the top thereby carbonizing raw coal an generating coal gas, and leading off the coal gas so enerated in excess of that required for recircu ation.

3. The process of the production of coal gas and utilization of heat of combustion; which consists in establishing and.v maintaining a descending column of ignited fuel having a top and a bottom and a bed of ignited fuel havin a to removed from the bottom of said co to the top of the column and by passing hot carbonized fuel from the bottom of the column to the bed and by discharging ashes from the bed continuousl air blast the bed and producin utilizab e heat, pr ucing a hot zone at t e lower part of the column by intermittently air b asting the lower art of the column and burning some of t e carbonzed fuel and leading olf the blast gases from the top of said zone to the combustion gases from the burning fuel bed and collecting coal gas from the top 'of the column, generating coal gas in the upper part of the eolumn and between the air blasting ste s recir culating some of the coal gas from umn y feeding bituminous coal e lower part to the upper art of the column to transfer heat from the ower part to the upper part for carbonizing raw fuel and generating additional coal gas, and leading o and con- 5 serving the coal gas generated in excess of that required for recirculation.

J OHN M. RUSBY. WILLIAM I. BATTIN. 

